I had Monster World set up in the living room before either of them got home – my peace offering to Ryou to make up for the strange morning. I modified a campaign I found online about the undead. Zombies would keep both those morons interested. They were such a pair.

It was weird . . . Ryou really through me for a loop that morning. I hadn't expected him to suggest . . . but what I really hadn't expected was how much the idea appealed to me. I mean, we had an auto-erotic truce back in the day. Sometimes in the shower, or his bed when it was late at night – well, bodies had urges, especially the bodies of teenage males. But we never talked about it with each other. We just did it. Huh, I wonder if he still kept dirty comics in his sock drawer? I wouldn't mind re-reading a few of them.

I also wouldn't mind getting Kek back between the sheets. I thought the night before would end up weird, but it was . . . comforting, and the thought of adding Ryou only made it more comforting.

Kek walked through the door first, dark patterns from sweat decorated his t-shirt and his hair was a disaster even for him.

I cocked my head to the side as I studied him. "Where the hell have you been all day? You're a mess."

He grinned, the expression was oddly amicable and I'm taken back by how handsome it made his face. Marik never smiled like that and it was a damn shame.

"I got a job," he said.

I shook myself out of my daydreams and raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"At a gym. It's just a go-for job for now, but . . . don't tell Ryou, but in two months I'm going to have a match. I'll make more money that way."

"A match? Are you hustling Duel Monster games?"

He shook his head. "No, a boxing match."

"Ah, I see. Yeah, probably better if Ryou didn't know about that." I snorted and decided to tease him. "Try not to kill anyone."

Kek exhaled a mournful sigh. He dropped to the sofa, his shoulders hunched over. "I almost killed my boss today. I reached for the Rod and when it wasn't there I was going to throttle him."

I sat beside Kek. Our shoulders brushed together and normally I'd hate the contact, but it'd be stupid to worry about sitting next to him after I already slept with him. "What happened?"

"The training . . . I got pissed off. The only reason I was able to talk myself out of killing him was because he gave absolutely no fucks. No matter how angry I got, he didn't care." He shrugged, a single laugh popped out of his vocal cords. "It's hard to stay pissed at someone like that."

"And what happens tomorrow when you get pissed off again?" I asked.

"Probably burpees."

"What?"

His lips curled up in a wolfish grin. "Never mind."

I nudged him with my shoulder. "I got a job, too. You'll never guess where."

"The Moto Game Shop?"

"Fuck no. I'd rather die than work there."

Ryou walked in, looking haggard. "Hey." He leaned against the door for a moment and sighed. His hair tousled around his face in a white mess, but since it was Ryou he managed to make stressed and tired look gorgeous.

"We have jobs," Kek announced.

Ryou looked confused. "Jobs?"

"Yeah, jobs. We can't mooch off for you forever."

"True, but . . . you guys did just come back from the dead. I'd understand if you took a few weeks to adjust before you worried about jobs."

"Fuck that, I want to buy my own stuff next time. Besides, I'm just going to be helping out at the Kyubi Gym. It's not like I'm working in a coal mine."

"Oh, I've seen that gym. It's on the way to the craft store." Ryou walked over to us and sat on the carpet, looking up. "What kind of job did you get, Bakura?"

I smirked. "Chief Executive of Internet Security for Kaiba Corp."

Kek arched his eyebrows and Ryou's mouth dropped open. The later of the two asked, "how'd you get a job like that?"

"It was fun, actually. I hacked into his system, staged a fire drill, and then I got on his Skype account and asked him if he wanted to hire something who knew what the fuck they were doing. Then we negotiated salary."

"Who's dumb enough to hire a thief for security?" Kek shook his head.

Ryou shrugged. "It's brilliant, really. Who knows security better than a thief?"

"Exactly." I gestured to the corner of the room where I had the Monster World board set up for play. "I thought tonight would be a good night to start a campaign."

Ryou's face beamed when he noticed the board. "Okay. I think I'll order sushi for dinner. We should celebrate you both getting jobs."

"First I need a shower." Kek stood and tried to peel the damp t-shirt away from his shoulders. He hissed at the movement and the cloth dropped back over his body.

Ryou stood up. "What's wrong?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Nothing. I'm just sore. Guess I better get used to it."

Ryou smiled. "Here, let me help you."

Ryou reached out for Kek's shirt. Kek stepped back. He looked away, bashful as ever around Ryou. "No, it's okay, I got it. I'm a sweaty mess."

Ryou stepped up to him and grabbed the hem of his shirt. "Don't be silly. I don't care if you're sweaty or not."

He pulled the shirt off of Kek and I noticed how Kek blushed and how Ryou's eyes dilated as he stared at Kek's naked top-half. Too bad Kek was looking away or he might have noticed it as well. Ryou blushed as if just aware that he ogled Kek with his gaze. He handed Kek his shirt back. "Here you go."

Kek snatched the material without looking. "Thanks."

"You know where the towels are?"

"Yeah, I found them this morning."

"Oh . . . okay, good. I guess I should order the sushi now."

I snickered. "I bet his legs are sore as well. You should help him out of his pants next, Ryou."

"I'm not three. I can undress myself." Kek stormed down the hall towards the bathroom.

Ryou stabbed me with a dark look. I shrugged. "What? I was trying to help you out. That little exchange between you two was so awkward that it hurt to watch. Gods, just hurry up and get on with it."

Ryou stared at the carpet. "I'm not like you. I can't just take everything I want."

"You are giving me far too much credit." I looked at him. "I wasn't any smoother last night when I bedded him. If that makes you feel any better. We were very awkward – but you didn't hear it from me."

I can still see our hands on our knees as we knelt like a mirror image of each other, gawky and newly resurrected. It surprised me, when a shiver ran through my core from the memory.

Damn .

I still didn't want to admit it, the impact the night before had. I stared back up at Ryou, my eyes begged for him to understand that just this once I wasn't being a sarcastic asshole .

He stared at me like I was a new game, some sort of puzzle he hadn't figured out yet. After a long minute passed between us he said, "if I didn't know better, I could swear you weren't being sardonic."

I rested my elbows on my knees so I could cradle my chin in my palms, giving Ryou my best attempt of a coy look. "Good thing you know better, then."

He made a sound, like a hum that wasn't quite agreement or argument. He turned and walked off, dismissing me with a hand gesture. "I need to order dinner."

I looked around the apartment. It was far too cozy. Was it always so comfortable? How did I live here so long before and never notice? Then again, it wasn't like I was fully in my right mind three years ago. Some of the things I did … it even bothered me, but there was nothing to do about it now.

Ryou walked back into the living room, brushing his mess of white hair out of his face.

There were a lot of things I never noticed.

Like how damn pretty he is.

"Bakura? Are you okay? You look kinda . . ."

"Flushed?" It was true, I could feel the heat on my face.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked, genuinely candid.

"Something fun."

He smiled, no longer candid. "Monster World?"

I stood up. "Yes, let's get it ready."

The most horrifying experience I'd ever known was the safe, comfy feeling I got in Ryou's apartment. I never relaxed during my first life, nor as a spirit haunting the Ring, but sitting on the plush carpet and watching Kek and Ryou pretend like they weren't flirting made it feel like a thick quilt wrapped around my shoulders. I didn't like it, not at all. I kept myself across from them, the DM against the players, but I wanted to scoot closer to them. I kinda wanted to be sandwiched between them.

We had two boat-shaped platters burdened with sushi, and a continuous stream of laughter bubbled from not only Ryou, but Kek as well. I even heard myself laughing. I couldn't help but relax; I couldn't help but stare at them.

It took a long time for them to make characters, mostly because they wouldn't stop flirting and finding excuses to slap at each other's hands or shoulders.

"Aren't you done with your character, Ryou?" I pretended to pay more attention to my plate than to them. "You should have everything memorized for a White Wizard by now."

"I'm going to be a Diabloist."

"Bullshit."

Ryou looked up from his character sheet. "I'm serious. Being the same character all the time gets boring."

"But a Diabolist?"

Ryou licked his lips. "What You think I can't handle my share of demons and dark spirits?"

The words appeared straight forward, but the subtle pauses between them, the way he pronounced each word too clearly, his tongue on his lips before speaking, all betrayed him. I had a piece of tuna sashimi half to my lips before I paused and raised and eyebrow. "Nice innuendo."

He wasn't as shy as he'd been that morning. The game, the sashimi, the laughter, his guard was lower than mine. He smiled down at his character sheet and spoke to it instead of me. "There you go misinterpreting me again."

"Misinterpreting? Is that what I'm doing? I thought I was reading between the lines." I put the sashimi in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

Kek looked up from his own stats. "What am I missing?"

"Nothing, Bakura's being an idiot."

Kek snorted a chuckle of laughter. "That's nothing new."

I couldn't believe how fucking dense Kek was. He didn't get that from Marik, that's for damn sure.

After they completed their characters, we started the campaign and got lost in it. I didn't notice how long we played until I saw Ryou's head resting on Kek's shoulder. I looked at the corner of the lap top. It was 2:30 a.m. which explained why my eyes burned.

"I guess we should go to sleep."

"In a few minutes, I've almost leveled up," Ryou muttered, his eyes closed.

"You're falling asleep on Kek."

"That's okay," Kek said as quick as he could. "I don't mind."

I shook my head. "You can stay there all night if you want. The DM is going to bed."

Ryou grunted, irritated. It reminded me of before when he'd work all night on writing a campaign and be exhausted the next day.

"Ryou, can you wake me up in the morning?" Kek asked.

"Mmm-hmmm," Ryou cooed, too asleep to form words.

Kek toyed with a strand of Ryou's hair, but Ryou was too gone to notice. "Thanks, Ryou."

"Mmmm . . ."

Kek smiled. He scooped Ryou into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Kek glanced at me. "Putting him in bed."

Fuck, he was an idiot. I didn't want Ryou in his own bed, well, not without us.

I shrugged, like I didn't care. "You should just leave him on the floor. Toss a blanket over him. He'll be fine."

"Quit being an asshole." Kek carried Ryou to the back of the apartment where Ryou's bedroom lay. I heard Ryou mutter something and Kek responded, but I couldn't make out what they said. I pulled out the spare blankets and pillows that I put away earlier that morning.

Kek returned to the living room. He stretched and a pained expression betrayed how sore he felt. He scratched his stomach and looked at me. "Flip for it?"

The breath caught in my throat before I could stifle it.

Kek rolled his eyes and grinned. "For who gets the couch, not who tops. Isn't the DM going to sleep now?"

No, I said bed not sleep. Kek was a moron. How, seriously fucking how, was he more innocent than Ryou? Ryou might have played a slow game, but at least he was playing – Kek wasn't even on the board.

He slinked a little closer with a snarky Marik-grin on his face. "Unless you can't sleep otherwise?"

I was tempted to kiss him. One kiss and I knew we'd do it all over again, but humanity had a bad effect on me. It made me consider Ryou's feelings – something I never worried about before. I knew Ryou wanted to be part of this . . . arrangement, and I knew Ryou would feel left out if we did it again without him. I shouldn't have cared, but for some reason, I did.

So as much as I wanted to kiss him, I simply turned away. "No. I . . . just-just flip the damn coin already, asshole."

He chuckled. "Call it?"

At least I won the coin toss again. That somehow made me feel better about making an ass out of myself. Kek stretched out on the floor and I took the sofa. It was dark except for the street light filtering through the window. I'm not sure why, but I looked down at Kek and he looked back up at me with bright, clover-colored eyes. I could tell he was lonely, despite the fact that we were side by side. I could tell he wanted some sort of physical contact, and I wanted the same. I hated it, by the gods I hated it, but I couldn't deny it. I sighed and turned on my side, scooting as far back against the cushions as I could.

I didn't have to say anything. He knew what I was doing and leapt up beside me, hiding his face against my chest and pressing tight enough for us both to fit on the narrow sofa. I wrapped my arms around his waist and breathed in the scent of his washed hair. He held onto my midsection in return.

So terrifying . . . the sensation of being held. A little noise escaped unbidden from the back of my throat. I hated it. It sounded weak.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I didn't want him to be sorry because I needed it, too – the touch of another person. I never allowed myself such a frivolous luxury before. The worst part of it was that I couldn't figure out if these strange urges (to be held, to be close to another living being) were something the gods did to us intentionally, something they changed in us before sending us back, or if it was a natural reaction to returning from the dead. There was a third option, much more frightening. What if we'd merely used our anger as a crutch for too long and affection of any kind was something we'd secretly wanted all along?

That thought horrified me. Mostly because I knew the truth of it.

I couldn't handle the thought, so I shrugged in the dark. "Whatever, don't apologize. I'm pretending you're Marik."

It was a lie.

I'd thought about Marik a lot that day, but Marik was Marik and Kek was Kek.

"Yeah? Good. That means I can pretend you're Ryou."

I laughed at that. "Idiot. I told you to leave him here. He'd be all about a three-way cuddle."

The room grew quiet, then Kek muttered, "I can't."

"Go in there right now and tell him you had a nightmare. He'd probably offer his bed to you."

"Hell no. I'm not three."

I thought of how lonely the couch would be with Kek in Ryou's bed. "Then I'll go with you and say I had a nightmare instead. He'd let us both snuggle up to him, and his the bed's much bigger than this couch."

"I can't," Kek's whisper was soft. "I'd just fuck it all up and get us both kicked out of his apartment."

"Suit yourself. You're the asshole who's muscles will be even more sore in the morning from sleeping on a couch instead of a bed."

Kek was hopeless and Ryou was too polite to outright say want he wanted. I was going to have to take up the noble cause of getting us all in the sack together, altruist that I was.

I wished I was half the villain everyone thought I was (that I used to be when I had the Ring). Then I could let my mind wallow in the gutter and think about sex with Ryou and Kek all night long, but the quiet in the room made my mind wander, and it wandered where it always did – to Marik. I needed to see him at least once. I wanted him to look me in the face and tell me to walk away. If he could do it, I'd never bother him again, but I didn't think he'd be able to.

In fact, I knew he couldn't do it.

I just needed to leave a trail of breadcrumbs.

So he could find his way back here.

Back to me.